Children’s mental health waiting times a scandal, say Lib Dems
Yo u n g s t e r s r e q u i r i n g h e l p from specialist mental health services have been kept waiting for almost 2.5 million days longer than they should over the last four years.
The Scottish Liberal Democrats discovered those on the waiting list for help from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) had waited a cumulative total of 2,486,265 days over the target time since April 2017.
Health spokesman Alex ColeHamilton said that showed the need for “transformational investment”.
The figures come from data obtained via freedom of information from health boards on the total number of days children had waited over the 18-week target since 2017-18.
Mr Cole-hamilton said: “Children needing mental health help in Scotland have been left waiting 2.5 million more days than they should have.
"That’s a scandal.” Waiting time figures pub - lished at the start of Decemb e r s h o w e d a l m o s t 1 ,0 0 0 youngsters have been waiting more than a year for a CAMHS appointment.
The figures released by the Liberal Democrats also show increased wait times over the years, with children and young people waiting 274,954 days more than the target time in 2017-18 – which had risen to 1,127,735 days so far in 2020-21.
Mr Cole-hamilton warned: “The next major public health problem coming down t h e tracks will take the form of mental health problems, and these statistics prove we’re not ready.
“T h e s y s t e m i s u n d e r immense strain.
"For years vulnerable children across Scotland have been subjected to harrowing long waits for help.
“The pandemic and the backl o g i n a p p o i nt men t s i t h a s caused will only make t hi s mountain harder to climb.
“We desperately need to see transformational investment in Scotland’s mental health services.
“Our NHS staff do an incredible job, but they need more money, staff and resources behind them to make sure this runs smoothly and no-one falls through the gaps.
“Behind each of these numbers is a family wracked with worr y about a young person who is not doing well.
"The Government has a duty to invest in this and ensure they get help when they ask for it, not many months later.”